No chill sugar cookies Christmas trees decorated with royal icing and an assortment of sprinkles.
When December hits and your holiday to-do list is longer than Santa’s, the last thing you need is a cookie recipe that requires hours of chilling time. These no chill sugar cookies are my secret weapon for stress-free holiday baking.
This dough comes together in one bowl, rolls out immediately, and bakes in just 6-8 minutes. No waiting, no overnight chilling, no rock-hard dough wrestling.
The result? Tender, vanilla-almond scented cookies with crisp edges and soft centers that hold their shape beautifully—whether you’re cutting out Christmas trees, stars, or snowflakes.
Why This Recipe is Best
Most sugar cookie recipes call for chilling because cold butter creates structure and prevents spreading. This formula uses a specific flour-to-butter ratio that naturally holds its shape without refrigeration. The dough is stable enough to cut immediately but still bakes up tender, not tough.
Translation: mix, roll, cut, bake, decorate. Done in 30 minutes.
What You Need
The ingredient list is refreshingly simple—flour, butter, sugar, one egg, and basic pantry staples. No cream cheese, no shortening, no unusual ingredients. The subtle addition of almond extract adds depth without overwhelming the classic vanilla flavor.
Gather the following tools:
- baking sheets lined with parchment or nonstick silicone baking mats
- stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- rolling pin
- Christmas tree cutters (or desired cookie cutter shapes)
- Wire cooling rack
There are several shapes and sizes of Christmas tree cookie cutters available. I recommend this 4-inch tree cookie cutter. This is a great four piece Christmas tree set.
For decorating, royal icing made with meringue powder is your best friend. It dries hard, stacks beautifully, and doesn’t require pasteurized egg whites. (I always keep meringue powder stocked in my pantry—it’s a game-changer for cookie decorating and eliminates food safety concerns.)
Pro Tips from a Pastry Chef
- Measure flour correctly: Spoon it into your measuring cup and level off. Scooping directly from the bag packs in too much flour, creating dry, tough cookies.
- Use room temperature butter: It should be soft enough to leave a fingerprint but not greasy or melted. This creates the right texture.
- Roll to ¼-inch thickness: Any thinner and they’ll overbake; any thicker and the centers won’t cook through properly.
- Don’t overbake: Pull them when the edges are just set. They’ll look slightly underdone but will firm up as they cool.
Make-Ahead Cookie Strategy
Bake the cookies up to 3 days ahead and store them unfrosted in an airtight container. Decorate them the day you plan to serve (or whenever you have time). The royal icing actually keeps the cookies soft and fresh for several days.
How to Freeze Cookies
For longer storage, layer cooled baked cookies using parchment paper or wax paper. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Store in a zip-top freezer bag for up to two months. When you’re ready to decorate, defrost frozen cookies at room temperature.
Decorating Made Simple
Tools for Decorating Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
- piping bag with small round piping tip
- royal icing
- gel paste food colors
- variety of sprinkles
Obviously these sugar cookies don’t need any additional frosting or decor. The plain cookies are perfect little treats on their own. They’re flavored with a touch of vanilla and almond extract.
You don’t need professional skills to make these look impressive. Start with a basic outline, fill it in, and add sprinkles while the icing is still wet. The icing does most of the work for you, creating a smooth, polished finish that looks bakery-worthy.
For colored icing, gel paste food colors give you vibrant shades without thinning the icing. A little goes a long way—start with a toothpick amount and add more as needed.
Once the holidays are over, switch over to heart and flower cutters and get ready for Valentine’s Day cookies!
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
- A homemade version of those popular Danish butter cookies sold in blue tins!
- Add these decorated sugar cookies to your holiday traditions! Learn how to decorate using royal icing, cookie icing, sprinkles, and Candy Melts.
- Soft and chewy peppermint patty cookies. Small peppermint patties stuffed into chocolate cookie dough make for the ultimate sweet treat.
No Chill Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, (390 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, (226 g) softened, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar, (200 g)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Royal Icing:
- ¾ cup warm water
- 5 Tablespoons meringue powder
- 2 ¼ pounds powdered sugar, (7 ½ cups or 860 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- gel paste colors, see notes
- assorted sprinkles
Instructions
Sugar Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter. Once smooth, add sugar and extracts. Mix on low speed until combined. Add egg and continue to mix. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- Add flour in two additions. Continue mixing on low speed until dough forms. Divide dough into two equal parts. Work with one piece of a dough at a time. Roll dough to a thickness of about ¼-inch on a lightly floured work surface. Stamp out desired cookie shapes. Gather scraps and re-roll dough as necessary.
- Place cookie cutouts on a prepared baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set. Allow cookies to cool in pan for 3-5 minutes until cookies have firmed up enough to move. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Royal Icing:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together warm water and meringue powder. Let mixture sit undisturbed for 3 minutes.
- Using a paddle attachment, mix on low speed. Add powdered sugar in three additions. Add vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until icing holds a ribbonlike trail on the surface of the mixture when you raise the paddle.
- Divide icing into smaller bowl. Color icing as desired using gel food coloring, powdered food coloring, or liquid food coloring.
- Save any remaining royal icing by covering surface of icing with a damp paper towel.
Assembly:
- If using piping tips, place tips inside piping bags (pastry bags). Partially fill bags with desired royal icing colors.
- Start by piping a general outline of shape. Pipe any additional designs as desired. Immediately top with sprinkles. Allow icing to set before stacking cookies.
- Iced cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- I used AmeriColor soft gel food color in Forest Green
- Instead of almond extract, you may substitute for lemon extract or simply use more vanilla extract
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This was so delicious how are you like the best at making sugar cookies the taste and texture was perfect
I put left over dough in the refrigerator so that I could finish up the next day. The dough is now rock hard :( Can this dough not be chilled?
No, this is a no chill cookie dough. The ratio of butter to flour creates a dough that should be rolled and baked immediately after mixing. However, you can still salvage the chilled dough. Leave it out at room temperature for several hours until softened and pliable.
Hi, do you use normal icing sugar or the royal icing sugar type?
Thanks!
Regular confectioners’ sugar (also known as powdered sugar or 10x sugar).
These look so cute and tasty. Thanks for sharing the recipe.